Territorial
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: "We can coexist. Franke and I won't charge you to pass, but at the same time, you won't charge us for your..." She giggled and shook her head. "...protection services. It's as easy as that. A quid pro quo." Kitty and Bobby come to an agreement, which is heavily advantageous for the former.


minor warning for a lesbophobic comment used by bobby towards franke. it's quickly punished by what kitty does afterwards.

Territorial

"Kitty! I got some words for ya!"

A deep sigh escaped Kitty as she coolly watched Bobby march up to the bridge. His arms swung by his sides like a barbarian, his eyes narrowed solely on her. He was steaming mad, and Kitty realized the reason why before he arrived. Tilting her head, she tapped her cheek as his shadow crossed over her and Franke, her grip on her girlfriend's hand strong as she grinned up at him.

"Bobby, good morning," she said, her bright blue lips curving a wicked sneer on her face.

"Don't gimme that 'good morning' crap, Boob-ai!" he snarled, raising his fist. "What the hell are you two thinking setting up a toll here? You think I wasn't gonna find out about it? Because you girls must be morons if you really thought that!"

Exchanging a smile with Franke, she knew that he was baiting her. His crude insults provided more ways for her to make fun of him. She'd always do it behind his back, not wanting to face him hocking a loogie at her, but this situation felt a tad precarious. She sensed his anger brewing in his stomach. The air felt as if it was heating up around her, but Kitty's makeup was sweat resistant, and she maintained her calm front as Bobby's pathetic lackey, one of her favorite toys, hurried to catch up to him.

"You two know I'm runnin'-" He snickered. "-protection services, and you two also know it's costin' people arrowheads." Bobby cracked his knuckles, his shoulders hunching to make himself appear larger. "I can't have these chumps forking over the arrowheads I want for your stupid toll bridge."

"Well, you should've thought of this idea before Kitty did," Franke jeered, pointing at him and making Bobby scowl.

"She's right," Kitty added, lightly squeezing Franke's hand, assuring her she had said something that threw Bobby off his groove. "I mean, Bobby, are you really going to get so red-faced over a little toll? We're only costing people one arrowhead to pass, and aren't you charging five arrowheads?" She hummed and tapped her foot on the grass. "I think we aren't impeding on your business at all. If anything, me and Franke could be losing business because you're charging more than us, and that's gonna put a damper on the kids who need to pay the toll." She grinned as his cheeks darkened, knowing she ensnared him in her logic. "That's simple economics."

Bobby huffed and crossed his arms, his fingers digging into his bony elbows. "You think I gave a damn about your money lecture, Professor Clown Face?" He bore all of his teeth, the green gums between them making Kitty's stomach flip, but she continued smirking despite her sudden wave of nausea.

"Hey! Kitty's face is the best! It's way better than your ugly face or mine," Franke interjected, looking like she'd pounce at any second.

Offense seized Bobby's features only to quickly drop. He stared at Franke with wide eyes before bursting into laughter, his hair wobbling as his cackling jostled his entire body. As Benny howled behind him, Bobby's hand flew to his forehead as he sneered, "Man, you're so dumb! Do you hear yourself or are you deaf and dumb? That's the stupidest thing I've heard all morning, and I just had to put socks in the cheerleaders' mouths! Literally!"

_Oof, so close, babe. Let me handle the peanut gallery,_ Kitty thought, pulling her hand from Franke's to grip her hips as Franke's entire face flushed a deep crimson. Asserting a dominant pose, she shifted her weight on her right leg and turned her attention to the lackey both she and Bobby claimed.

Benny flicked his gaze between Kitty and Bobby. His silence was unusual. He'd be quick to spike someone with a taunt as soon as Bobby volleyed the first insult. Even when he was without Bobby, he would seek out smaller kids to bully, which seemed like his passion in life, musicals coming in at a close second.

A quick scan of his mind revealed to Kitty that he had been the one to tell Bobby about the toll bridge. She knew she couldn't trust Benny as far as she could throw him. She only revealed her idea about the toll bridge to him so he could stand there and collect the arrowheads for her and Franke whenever they were bored.

But she supposed she should have guessed the confrontation was inevitable. Bobby had his protection services, and she and Franke had their toll bridge. Their arrowhead-scalping schemes would have collided eventually. Two similar strategies couldn't exist in the same space without conflict, but as she tilted her head at Benny and caught him sweating, Kitty had to bite back a chuckle.

"Benny, what do you think about all of this? Didn't you say you supported my toll bridge?" Kitty asked, rolling her wrist as she pointed her polished fingernail to his chin.

"You did what?" Bobby hissed, clenching his fist and glaring down at his crony.

Benny grimaced, the corners of his mouth twisting into a frown. He swallowed and showed his hands as if he was some sort of prey, his resemblance to a rat more evident in Kitty's opinion. He struggled to grin, his eyes wide and voice pitching higher as he said, "Aw, aw, Bobby, y-you know I'd-I'd never side with someone like Kitty."

She clicked her tongue. "Oh, that's a terrible lie. You told me that you thought it was-oh, what did you say?" She flicked her head back as she leered at Bobby. "He told me that he thought it was way better than your protection services. It's more effective and guarantees arrowheads from everyone in camp. Going after kids who could fight back instead of letting them hand over their arrowheads was-" She flashed a bright grin at Benny, the sweat which had collected on his brow beginning to dribble down his cheeks. "-plain stupid, which is exactly what you said."

_Dang, Kitty! You got 'em on the ropes,_ Franke thought, her praise sending a delightful rush through Kitty's body.

Shuddering, Bobby sucked down a breath and dragged his attention back to Benny. His fist shook as he snarled, "Is that so? You said that, Benny?"

"N-n-n-n-no!" Benny shook his head so quickly that Kitty thought it would unscrew and pop off like the cheap sodas in the lodge. "N-no-no-no-no way, no way, boss! I wo-wouldn't say something like that!" He scoffed and glared back at Kitty, adding, "You're lying! Tell the boss you're lying!"

"I am not. Franke, am I lying?" Kitty asked, grinning at her girlfriend.

"Nope! I was there, too. Benny totally said that," Franke said, bobbing her head up and down.

Bobby didn't wait to hear his excuses. He smashed his knuckles across the top of Benny's skull, the impact making a sharp cracking sound. Benny cried and clutched his head as he fell, Kitty feeling Franke press herself against her arm. She patted Franke's hand, telepathically telling her to leave the rest to her as Bobby rammed his heel into Benny's chest, Benny's gasp sounding more pathetic than it usually was.

"I'll deal with you in a minute," Bobby growled down at his writhing flunky. Heaving out a breath through his flared nostrils, he smirked back at them. "You girls get the deal now, right? If you don't pack up your bags and take a hike, I'm gonna do to you a hundred times worse than what I'm gonna do to him."

"Oh, let's not get physical. We're both in the arrowhead business," Kitty said, lacing her fingers together by her waist. "In fact, let's cut a deal."

Her wording caught Bobby off guard. She wished she could have read his mind to hear his baffled thoughts. Bobby's mental defenses were abnormally powerful, leaving her to speculate based on his expression. Thankfully, everything he felt showed on his face as clear as day, and judging by his wide eyes and slightly opened mouth, she knew she sparked his confusion.

"We can coexist. Franke and I won't charge you to pass, but at the same time, you won't charge us for your..." She giggled and shook her head. "...protection services. It's as easy as that. A quid pro quo."

Bobby snorted, "I dunno what kind of PBS words you're saying-"

"It's Latin."

"-but no freakin' deal. It's my way or the highway, got it?" He brought two fingers to his temples. "And I ain't afraid of droppin' lesbo over there off the cliff if you two don't back off and hand me your arrowheads."

Kitty felt Franke flinch next to her, and her own anger spiked. She was used to Bobby's insults, but hearing him speak down to Franke immediately set off warning alarms in her head. He was a violent brute, one who wouldn't hesitate to attack Coach Oleander if he got on his nerves. The situation was becoming more perilous, but she had an ace up her sleeve when she noticed a certain camper emerging from the girl's cabin.

"I'm going to tell you how things are going to happen, Bobby," Kitty said, smirking, "So, if you don't want me walking over to Chloe right now and dropping a truth bomb on her, then you better shut up and listen."

He looked like a deer in headlights seconds away from getting struck by a speeding truck. His mouth flung open, and he hunched forward, the whites of his eyes looking like they were streaked with deep gray veins. It was an ugly sight and one Kitty relished in. Monosyllabic, guttural noises croaked out of him as Benny struggled to get back to his feet, his own expression ripe with annoyance. Bobby jerked his head over his shoulder, the sight of Chloe making him sweat and blush as if he had finished a marathon. He winced when Chloe looked over at him, waving a little as she made her up Oleander's treehouse, and he returned it with a smile so goofy that it took all of Kitty's willpower not to make fun of him right then and there. He glared back at Kitty as soon as Chloe was out of his line of sight, demanding to know what she wanted.

"Like I said, a quid pro quo. You do your thing, and I'll do mine. We won't interfere with each other. We'll let you pass, and you won't bother us for any arrowheads under any circumstances." She offered her hand as if she was being generous. "Do we have a deal?"

Bobby wasted no time smacking his hand into hers and shaking it too roughly. He dug his thumb into her knuckles, snarling, "I'm gonna get you back, you fat cat."

"Insult me all you want," Kitty jeered, scraping her nails against his palm as she pulled away, "because I'm the one who knows your secret, and if you mess up, then I'll be glad to tell Chloe about it."

"Y-you, you, I'm-I'm gonna-" Bobby glowered back at Benny, who yelped under his feral gaze. "The next time I see you, Benny, I'm gonna claw out your eyes and force-feed 'em to ya, and when you puke 'em out, I'm gonna feed you them again!"

He shoved past Kitty and Franke, his footsteps heavy under the wooden rungs as he stormed to the lodge. Kitty and Franke watched him go, the latter smiling so hard her face hurt. Franke sighed, gazing at Kitty with awe as she calmly blew on her knuckles, saying she was the best.

"Oh, I know, Franke, but for now..." She held out her hand. "...one arrowhead, Benny."

"Pay up!" Franke added, tossing out her hand.

Benny slapped on his pockets and closed his eyes. Crossing his arms, he quietly said, "I don't have any. They're all in Bobby's hair. He confiscates any arrowhead I find and says it's my payment."

"That's where he keeps them? Weird," Franke mumbled as Kitty rolled her eyes.

"Well, you better get searching because we're not letting you pass." She flicked her fingers back to the cabins. "Maybe there's some in the caves over there. Don't let any bears eat you while you look or I'll lose my favorite boy toy."

"Wait, I'm your favorite?" Benny chirped, all of his pain and irritation seemingly forgotten as Kitty smiled.

"Oh, definitely. You're almost not as annoying as Quentin," she said, patting his cheek. "Now-" She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "-go get that arrowhead."

She pushed him off, watching him stumble forward. He rubbed his curly, yet matted hair and glanced back at her over his shoulder. She sensed his annoyance, but off Benny went without any gripes. Kitty knew he couldn't go against her no matter how bothered he was by her. If Bobby ever ditched him, he'd come crawling to her on his hands and knees for a chance under the spotlight, and she'd welcome him for as long as she needed him until it was time to push him behind the long velvet curtains he adored.

"Man, Kitty, that was awesome. You totally owned them," Franke said, gazing at her with nothing short of admiration.

"You weren't half-bad either, babe." Kitty stroked Franke's cheek, her thumb brushing against her high cheek bone and making Franke beam brighter than the sun above their heads. "Now, when one of those losers comes over, I wanna see your strongest push to get those arrowheads."

"You bet'cha!"

Slipping her hand back into Franke's and rocking it back and forth, Kitty couldn't wait to see the distress on the other cadets' faces as they gave up their arrowheads and grinned to herself.


End file.
